Chapter 260: The Seven Deadly Sins (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: The Seven Deadly Sins (1)
The one speaking to him via telepathy was Veliel.
Jinhyuk had wondered if Veliel had gone to see other Apostles, given how quiet he had been the past few days.
It seemed the Demon King had been slyly watching everything from the sidelines.
"Things could get troublesome? What do you mean by that?"
[Humans wouldn't be able to smell it, but a pungent stench is wafting right to the tip of my nose. It's a rather dangerous scent.]
A scent that Veliel could smell.
Could it be...?
"Is there a place leaking demonic energy? In this ruin?"
[It is quite far from here. That witch must be plotting something. Judging by the mixed scents, there seems to be someone else besides her.]
The Holy Demonic Sanctuary inside the seventh chamber of the Tomb of the Antichrist was one of only three places in the entire Tower capable of manifesting Demon Kings and demons.
And if there were others with her...
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
The most likely scenarios flashed through his mind.
He had a good idea of how things were playing out.
And how he could exploit it...
"Thanks for the warning."
To think a day would come when a Demon King actually proved useful. Thanks to him, Jinhyuk had acquired some highly valuable information.
[Fufu. Don't get too excited. If a titled demon is truly manifesting, it's not something someone of your level can handle.]
"Are you saying I'm going to die?"
[Exactly. However, if you become my Apostle, you can avoid a miserable death. Accept the contract now, lowly human. It is not often that I extend an offer this many times.]
"Ho. You must be a pretty high-ranking Demon King, huh? Seeing how confident you are?"
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
[Of course! Who dares speak of status in my presence? When one speaks of the strongest in the Demon World, they speak of me. I do not know what kind of demon that witch has connected with, but they can never summon a demon of higher status than me!]
"Ooh!"
Jinhyuk let out an exclamation of awe.
Satisfied, Veliel burst into a mad laugh.
Jinhyuk could see the gold-eyed Demon King cackling inside the status window.
This guy is handsome enough to put mythological gods to shame, so why is he so incredibly frivolous...?
[Buhahaha! Have you finally realized a fraction of my greatness? Then you must also realize what an honor it is to become my Apostle. Now, quickly, let us form a contract that binds our souls...]
"No thanks."
[Huh?]
"I'll gladly take the info. But you can't expect a contract just for giving me a tiny tip like this. If this is all you've got, you'll need to give me at least thirty more hints before I even consider it. So, keep up the hard work."
Finding a good Apostle was no easy task. Especially in an era of labor shortages like this.
[W-Wait! What on earth do you think I am...! No, even by demon standards, this violates all business ethics, you bastard! Even a Demon King wouldn't act like you...]
Veliel tried desperately to hold him back, but Jinhyuk had already deactivated the whisper mode.
Right then.
"You seemed to be talking to an acquaintance. You looked quite happy..."
Maria, who had been pricking up her ears beside him, spoke up.
Although she couldn't hear what he was saying due to the mute function, she hadn't missed the way he kept grinning.
"Ah, I just received a scouting offer. I politely declined since I'm not interested."
"A scouting offer..."
A strange gleam flashed in Maria's eyes.
She realized that the ones offering to recruit Jinhyuk weren't mere guilds, but massive factions.
"Are there still factions in the mid-floors that haven't made an offer to you yet, other than the Empire or the Murim?"
"Hmm... A bit higher than that."
Higher than that?
Maria swallowed hard.
That meant factions from the upper floors were showing interest in Jinhyuk.
What was even more shocking was that he had casually rejected them.
"As expected... you're amazing."
She couldn't bring herself to ask if he was interested in Olympus.
With upper-floor factions coveting him, how could their group possibly catch his eye?
But if they stayed still like this, Olympus's standing would gradually crumble until they were forgotten by everyone.
As if anticipating her thoughts, Jinhyuk casually brought it up.
"Gandhara and Dangun aren't bad options to team up with, but they're all struggling to protect their own interests. Above all, can you really fight at ease when you're trusting your back to people who might betray you at any time?"
"...I suppose so. This is just a temporary allied raid bound by mutual interests, after all."
Contribution points, rewards, and the like.
A superficial contract could turn into a useless scrap of paper at any moment if they so desired.
"So, let's ditch them and join hands with me."
"Excuse me?"
"With me, Yeon-hwa, Tae-min, and you, Maria, we can easily clear this place. Needless to say, the rewards we get to split will be much larger."
"T-That may be true... but why did you choose me of all people?"
He couldn't exactly tell her it was because of his copying conditions.
Ideally, he would love to stab Maria in the back too, but one of the copying conditions strictly forbade doing so.
And comparing the experience points and items obtainable here to Hellfire...
...there was obviously only one choice.
"There's no other reason. My intuition just tells me that I can trust you, Maria."
Jinhyuk smiled warmly.
It was a gentle smile that melted away all doubts and worries.
* * *
An alliance within the alliance had been formed.
A secret alliance, of course, that Nirasha and Park Jung-jin were completely oblivious to.
"...So, you and Maria are going through the route where the scouts went missing?"
Nirasha asked back, unable to comprehend.
"That is the plan."
"Is that true, Maria?"
"Yes. I've thought about it, and I've made my decision. I will follow Jinhyuk."
Maria gave a small nod.
"The main route we found is populated by a number of mid-tier monsters, but that's about it. The path is wide and visibility is good, so there aren't really any variables."
Park Jung-jin also chimed in with a frown.
To them, it made no logical sense.
A main route where they could utilize their numerical advantage to push through with brute force versus an unknown shortcut where the scouting party had been wiped out.
Considering safety and the probability of success, the choice should have been obvious.
"If you're that anxious, you can all come with me. I can guarantee that my way is much safer."
"Guarantee... Ha. Don't make me laugh. We only accepted you because of the viewers' eyes. It's not because we trust you. Above all, we can clear this ruin perfectly fine on our own without that kind of help."
In short, she was telling him not to overstep.
"Well, if you insist. I guess we'll just have to go our separate ways."
"I will send a few of my people with you. This is my decision as the Raid Leader, so I hope you don't take it the wrong way. It's strictly to help you."
Nirasha snapped her fingers, and a burly man stepped forward.
Arun.
He was a ranker belonging to the Gandhara Guild who had learned Mandala directly from Nirasha.
"Helper" was just a polite term; in reality, it was no different from surveillance.
Yet, Jinhyuk's smile didn't waver.
"I'll gladly accept the help. I actually really needed some people to accompany me."
* * *
A short while later, the 2nd Raid Team, separated from the 1st Raid Team, arrived at the path guarded by the second Apostle.
It was the exact spot where the scouting party had been wiped out.
The straight corridor was narrow, barely wide enough for five people to walk abreast.
So this is the place.
[Arun activates his unique ability, 'Jingung Mandala'!]
Hummmmm!
A golden mist spread along the entire corridor.
"I see..."
A satisfied exclamation escaped Arun's lips.
Thanks to the power of Mandala, which allowed him to see through the essence of his target, he was able to identify the trap laid out in this corridor.
The Corridor of Silence.
This place was cursed to plunge anyone into a deep sleep if they spoke or if the noise from their movements exceeded a certain decibel level.
Naturally, the effect was on par with an Absolute Judgment, making it impossible to dispel with unique abilities or skills.
Once afflicted, the curse forces you to sleep for at least a week.
No wonder the scouting party sent ahead had been wiped out.
They were probably sprawled out asleep somewhere further ahead.
It strains my body, but using my ability was definitely the right call.
They had to show that Gandhara was the one to clear at least the second gate.
Since clearing this ruin under certain conditions could count as passing to the next floor, it was a location they absolutely had to conquer.
The fact that they could broadcast live here was also a factor that couldn't be ignored.
"We will go first. Stay back so you don't get in our way."
"Does that mean you've figured out how to bypass the trap?"
"Yes. Explaining it to you would only waste time, so we'll cross first and then disarm the trap for you."
"Well, alright. Go ahead."
Surprisingly, Jinhyuk backed down without a fight.
Although it was slightly suspicious, Arun didn't think too deeply about it.
He had figured out the trap's activation condition, and his opponent had yielded, so there was no reason to argue further.
There won't be any trap disarming, so you can just stand there and watch forever.
Step.
Arun and the other four players stood confidently at the entrance of the corridor.
Quieting their sounds was hardly a difficult task for them.
Rustle.
The faint sound of footsteps brushing against the ground.
They held their breath and heightened their senses to the absolute limit.
Though their pace was slow, they were making steady progress, so they would reach the end in no time.
Just stay calm and maintain this.
Arun's face flushed with excitement at the thought of his goal being right before his eyes.
Finally, he could surpass that veteran and win Nirasha's recognition.
But right at that moment...
[Bam-ba bam-ba-ba bam-ba-ra-ra bam-ba! All troops are to assemble at the parade ground by 0630 hours...!]
An ear-splitting bugle call echoed from the starting point.
"Ah, my morning alarm...! Sorry about that. I forgot to put it on silent. Haha."
Jinhyuk quickly closed the red status window with an embarrassed look.
To think the alarm I set so I wouldn't oversleep would go off here.
My bad, my bad.
Talk about being a total nuisance.
And of all things, it had to be a roaring military wake-up call.
"You... piece of..."
Arun's voice trailed off.
Overwhelmed by a sudden, crushing drowsiness, he could no longer keep his thoughts straight.
"My apologies. To pass through here, at least five people need to fall victim to the sleep curse. I will never forget the noble sacrifice you have so willingly made."
"Sacrifice my ass..."
Through his fading vision...
...he thought he saw Jinhyuk clasping his hands together in apology.
More precisely, he saw the pearly white teeth flashing through a twisted smirk.
Thud!
And that...
...was the last thing Arun remembered.